AUGUSTA - SOS Mediterranee's migrant rescue ship Ocean Viking has been given a Place of Safety to disembark its 572 rescued migrants in Augusta, Sicily, after five failed requests to maritime authorities for a safe place to disembark.

  According to SOS Mediterranee's Twitter, "At about 11:30 [on Friday morning], the disembarkation process has started in Augusta, Sicily. The unaccompanied minors and specific medical cases were the first ones to touch land. They are all being tested for Covid-19."

  The situation on board the ship had reached high levels of tension, with food running low and one man jumping overboard as a result of the psychological stress, the likelihood of salvation diminishing.

  So far 133 rescued migrants have disembarked, and the process will continue on Saturday morning.